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Gems
Gems are an extraterrestrial species of magical beings that play a central role in Steven Universe. Their origins, history, and culture are at this point not well understood, although numerous small hints throughout the series imply that Gems are an interstellar race which at one point maintained several outposts on Earth, but suddenly fled and left many of their artifacts to ruin, with the only Gems currently on Earth being the Crystal Gems, the Corrupted Gem Monsters, also a small group of stranded Gems from the Gem Homeworld. Description Gems as a species are characterized by the gemstone each Gem has embedded somewhere on their bodies which seems to be analogous to a brain or CPU. Gems' physical forms are projections from their gemstone, and Gems may change their physical form at will (although shapeshifting is not permanent and Gems will return to their "default" form eventually), with their only constant feature being their gemstone and color palette. All Gems are inherently sexless and the species lacks sexual dimorphism, although Gems' physical forms typically have characteristics associated with human femininity, with the only exception thus far being Steven, due to his half human parentage. Gems have numerous abilities, which can vary from Gem to Gem, including weapon summoning, fusion, the power to 'store' material in their gemstones, and bubble creation. Lapis Lazuli has no weapon but instead possesses hydrokinesis. Similar to this is Pearl's Psammokinesis. All Gems with their own weapon have the ability to direct energy through their weapons, such as Garnet using her gauntlets to charge Greg's van, Pearl firing an energy blast from the tip of her spear, and Amethyst sending bursts of energy through her whip or whips. Gems are functionally immortal and do not require food or sleep (although Gems can still eat and sleep if they so desire). The only way to permanently destroy or "kill" a Gem is to destroy their gemstone. If a Gem's physical form is badly injured, they will retreat into their gemstone to regenerate. Regeneration is special in that Gems can make permanent changes to their physical form while regenerating. The length of the regeneration process can range from minutes to weeks, but a "rushed" regeneration can suffer from physical deformities (such as Amethyst in "Reformed"). Regeneration can be prevented if a Gemstone is bubbled or otherwise constricted, such as within a mirror or a pillow. If a Gem's gemstone is damaged, their physical form will deteriorate and "glitch". Gem Shards, the remnants of a shattered gemstone, possess a "powerful partial consciousness" which can grant sentience to their containers and have been used to create drone soldiers. Gem Shards have also been forced to fuse together over time to form a Cluster Gem. Culture * There are two known groups of Gems: Homeworld Gems and Crystal Gems. ** The Homeworld Gems are gems currently living on the Gem Homeworld. Historically, Homeworld Gems wished to exploit Earth and established a foothold on the planet, by which they used to create new Gems, known as a Kindergarten. The "Homeworld Gems", including Peridot, Jasper, Lapis Lazuli and their currently unseen superior known as Yellow Diamond, are a hostile military force that invades planets, bleeds their natural resources dry, and "leaves them for dead." ** The Crystal Gems are a group of rebels who chose to join Rose Quartz in the fight against Homeworld in order to defend Earth. The only Crystal Gems that remain are Garnet (the fusion of Ruby and Sapphire), Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven, the son of Rose Quartz. ** Over five thousand years prior to the start of the series, Rose Quartz organized the Crystal Gems to oppose the Homeworld Gems. The Crystal Gems won, as stated by Pearl in "Rose's Scabbard", and the Homeworld Gems were driven from Earth, leaving behind many relics and temples. * Gem civilization is very advanced, capable of creating spaceships, pocket dimensions, and teleporters. * Gem culture is quite different from human culture, given the Crystal Gems' confusion over seemingly everyday human cultural practices, such as birthdays and video games. * The Gem culture is an ancient one, predating all known human civilizations. * Gems have their own written language, which is inscribed on many of their temples, as first seen in Steven's Room in the "Pilot". * Gem architecture can be seen scattered across the Earth in the form of the structures, such as the Lunar Spire, the Communication Hub and the Galaxy Warp. * While there has never been mention of Gems practicing any form of spiritualism, the existence of the Moon Goddess Statue, along with the Sea Shrine and the Pyramid Temple, imply some sort of belief system. * While Gems are incapable of reproduction, romantic relationships do exist in their society, such as that of Ruby and Sapphire. * The Gem Homeworld maintains a strict caste system based on Gemstone, in "Back to the Barn", Peridot describes how Pearls are created to be servants and meant to be completely subservient to their owners, and the rarity of a Peridot owning a Pearl. ** In "Too Far", there seems to be a broader type of Gems called Quartz. Quartz Gems are created to be large and intimidating soldiers which includes Jasper and Amethyst. Gem Types The Gem Homeworld maintains a strict caste system based on gemstone, with each Gem belonging to a larger "type". * Diamonds – The Diamonds are the highest ranking Gems and the matriarchs of the entire species who form Homeworld's "Diamond authority". The Diamonds are believed to be flawless, with no weaknesses by Homeworld society. Diamonds are also much larger than the average Gem, dwarfing all other known Gem types, with only some fusions exceeding them in height. As indicated by Blue Diamond's quote, "Where else would a being as fragile as a human live, while a being as powerful as a Diamond, perish?" Diamonds are likely the most powerful of the Gems. ** Blue Diamond – First appearing in "Steven's Dream", the overseer of Earth's colonization effort. ** Yellow Diamond – First appearing in "Message Received", the commander-in-chief of many of Homeworld's militaries. *** Pink Diamond – First mentioned in "Earthlings", the initial leader of Earth's Gem colony before being shattered sometime during the Rebellion allegedly by Rose Quartz. *** Unknown White Diamond – An unknown member of the Diamond Authority not yet shown. ** Sapphires – Rare Gems with foresight that hold aristocratic status and dress in regal attire. They are trusted advisors to the Diamonds, and it is not unusual for them to have their own Pearls as personal servants. *** Sapphire – A Sapphire that was sent to Earth as a diplomat to attempt to disband the Rebellion, a current member of the Crystal Gems. *** Padparadscha – An "off-color" Padparadscha Sapphire, deemed defective for her ability to only see events that have already occurred. ** Aquamarines – Aquamarines' roles are unknown, but according to Pearl (as well as Aquamarine's own gloating), they are high-ranking Gems.12 *** Aquamarine – An Aquamarine sent to Earth by the Diamonds in order to retrieve different "variations" of humans for Pink Diamond's Zoo. ** Morganites – While the exact role of a Morganite is unknown, they are known to be in charge of lower-ranking Gems. *** Unknown Morganite - A Morganite mentioned to have, at some point, replaced and outcasted Rhodonite's components after discovering they liked to fuse. ** Lapis Lazulis – Lapis Lazulis were made to terraform, as stated by Yellow Diamond. Peridot states that Lapis Lazulis are typically partial to water and flying. It is unclear how high they rank in the caste system, though they seem at least roughly equal to (or higher/lower than) Peridots. *** Lapis Lazuli – A Lapis Lazuli who was trapped in the Mirror for thousands of years, ultimately used by the Homeworld Gems for their invasion of Earth; eventually freed from the Mirror by Steven and now resides on Earth allied with the Crystal Gems. ** Topazes – Topazes' roles seem to be soldiers, obeying orders and acting as bodyguards for their assigned Gem. They are high-ranking Gems.12 *** Topazes (left and right) – Two Topazes sent to Earth by the Diamonds as a fusion in order to retrieve different "variations" of humans for Pink Diamond's Zoo. ** Bismuths – Bismuths were made for the purpose of building structures for elite Gems on Gem colonies, such as spires for intellectual Gems and arenas for fighting Gems. They are considered a lower caste, working away to serve the higher ones. *** Bismuth – One of the original Crystal Gems, who possessed a zealotry towards Rose's beliefs in personal freedom, giving her the choice to make what she wanted. Before the end of the war, Bismuth introduces Rose to a weapon known as the "Breaking Point", which would completely shatter a Gem's gemstone, destroying them completely. Rose, feeling it is cruel, fights Bismuth, poofs and bubbles her, and keeps her fate a secret from the rest of the Crystal Gems. It was not until about 5,300 years later that she is freed, Steven learns the truth, and she is poofed and bubbled again, but this time the Crystal Gems are told of what truly happened. ** Unknown Green Gem – Currently, it is unknown what type of Gem the Centipeetle Mother is. However, in "Monster Reunion", she is shown to be a captain in charge of other Gems (presumably of the same gemstone). These Gems fly in Gem spaceships, and started building structures on Gem colonies. *** Centipeetle – A Gem sent from Homeworld to start building on Earth, an early Gem Colony. However, she got caught in the war and was ordered to retreat. She was unable to board her ship in time and suffered from the attack caused by the Diamonds, resulting in her corruption. *** Centipeetle's Crew – A group including two Gems that appear in "Monster Reunion", who became corrupted by not evacuating Earth and not leaving their captain behind. As of now, they live together in the Ancient Gem Colony Ship. ** Nephrites – Not much is known about their abilities or role in Gem society. *** Unknown Nephrite – Pearl once took a Nephrite out of the cockpit of a drop ship during the Rebellion. ** Peridots – Peridots make up an engineer and technician caste, who often operate starships and Kindergarten facilities. Peridots are low-ranking enough that they rarely if ever have their own Pearl servant. The current model of Peridots (referenced as "Era 2") are smaller and are given technological enhancements than their "Era 1" model, as they supposedly do not have powers (Peridot's metal powers may make this untrue). It is unknown how "Era 1" Peridots are superior to "Era 2," if at all. *** Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG – A former Yellow Diamond follower and current member of the Crystal Gems. ** Quartzes – Huge, loyal, and intimidating soldiers. They vary in coloration and appearance, but most are broad shouldered, around 6-7 feet tall and have back-length hair. They appear to be high in Homeworld's hierarchy, as Rose Quartz was able to lead a rebellion and Peridot considered Amethyst to be the highest ranking Gem among the Crystal Gems despite her "defectiveness." Unlike the other Gems, quartzes come in varying shapes, names, and categories (Rose Quartzes, Jaspers, Amethysts, Carnelians, Agates, and possibly others.). Due to this, it is possible the term "Quartz" is a broader term to refer to these kinds of Gems. *** Agates – A kind of Quartz Gems who are dedicated to "terrify", as described by Yellow Diamond. They also seem to be placed in managerial positions and occupy a social step above the other Quartz Gems and keep them in line. In "The Trial", it is revealed that Agates can also serve as bodyguards for the higher ranking Gems, such as a Diamond. **** Holly Blue Agate – An Agate in charge of Pink Diamond's Zoo. *** Amethysts – A kind of Quartz Gems mainly created in the Earth's Prime Kindergarten. **** Amethyst Facet-5 Cut-8XM – A defective and short Quartz and current member of the Crystal Gems. **** Unknown Crystal Gem Amethysts – An unknown group of Amethysts that were formerly members of the Crystal Gems while Bismuth was active. They are currently presumed to be inactive. **** Amethyst Guards – A group of Amethysts guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo. Many are from the Prime Kindergarten and are members of the "Famethyst". ***** Amethysts Facet-5 Cut-"8XG," "8XJ," and "8XL" – Three Amethysts from the same section of the Prime Kindergarten as the Crystal Gems' Amethysts, and members of the "Famethyst". *** Carnelians – A kind of Quartz Gems which were created mainly in the Earth's Beta Kindergarten. **** Carnelian – A defective and short Carnelian guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo, and a member of the "Famethyst". *** Jaspers – A kind of Quartz Gems mainly created in the Earth's Beta Kindergarten. **** Jasper – An especially powerful Quartz Gem, as noted by Peridot in "Earthlings". **** Jasper Guards – A group of Jaspers in charge of guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo, and members of the "Famethyst". ***** "Skinny" – A defective and tall Jasper guarding Pink Diamond's Zoo, and a member of the "Famethyst". **** Snow Monster – A Corrupted Quartz Gem that was captured in the Great North by Jasper, she was forced to fuse with her but she escaped from her. **** Orange Great North Monster – A Corrupted Quartz Gem that was captured in the Great North by Jasper, who was used to attack the Crystal Gems, but ended up being poofed and bubbled. *** Rose Quartzes – A kind of Quartz Gems created by Pink Diamond. All members of this Gem-type are seen as outcasts due to Pink Diamond being shattered by one of them, which led to all of the rest being imprisoned in bubbles. **** Rose Quartz – A known Rose Quartz Gem and former leader of the Crystal Gems. **** Steven Universe – A hybrid half-human half-Rose-Quartz Gem and current member of the Crystal Gems. **** Unknown Bubbled Rose Quartzes – A large collection of hundreds of Rose Quartzes, inactive and bubbled by the Diamonds after a Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond. *** Others **** Unknown Quartz Warrior – A Quartz warrior shown to have fought Rose Quartz during in Pearl's flashback in "Sworn to the Sword". **** Beta Kindergarten Quartz Monsters – Various Corrupted Quartz Gems captured and incarcerated for Jasper's Corrupted Gem army, later freed during "Earthlings". ** Zircons – Zircons' roles seem to be lawyers, prosecuting or defending the accused during a trial. *** Zircon (Defense) – A Zircon who defends Steven during his trial. *** Zircon (Prosecuting) – A Zircon who acts as the prosecutor during Steven's trial. ** Watermelon Tourmalines – Watermelon Tourmalines' roles on Homeworld (as well as their rank and physical characteristics are currently unknown), as the only Gems of this type shown have been Corrupted.13 *** Watermelon Tourmaline – A Corrupted Gem with the ability to create strong gales with her breath. Her current status is unknown. ** Rutiles - Rutiles' role on Homeworld, and their rank in the caste system, is currently unknown. *** Rutile Twins - Two defective Rutile Gems whose gemstones fused together when they were first forming, making them permanently conjoined as one Gem. ** Rubies – In "The Answer", Garnet describes the Rubies as "common soldiers". They usually come in groups, and most commonly fuse with one another in combat, possibly to compensate for their height, and rarely summon weapons for combat with few exceptions. In "Hit the Diamond", Homeworld Rubies are shown to have poor reasoning skills and memory. *** Ruby – A Ruby that remains fused with Sapphire as Garnet, a current member of the Crystal Gems. *** Ruby (right shoulder gem) – A known Ruby that used to protect Sapphire, as shown in "The Answer". *** Ruby (right back-hand gem) – A known Ruby that used to protect Sapphire, as shown in "The Answer". *** Ruby-1F4 Cut-4ND ("Eyeball") – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper, and is a veteran of the Gem war on Earth. *** "Army" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper. *** "Navy" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper. *** "Leggy" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper. *** "Doc" – A known Ruby sent to retrieve Jasper, as well as the leader of the "Ruby Squad". ** Pearls – In "Back to the Barn", Peridot stated that Pearls are accessories and made-to-order servants who are just there for standing around, looking nice, taking orders, and holding other Gems' stuff. Peridot also indicates that it is a status symbol to have your own Pearl, and typically only the higher castes can own one. It is also implied by Ruby that Pearls are awarded to Gems who have done honorable deeds in "Bubbled". Pearls come in various colors, including blue and yellow, and it is implied that there are varying qualities and that Pearl of the Crystal Gems is an especially fancy one. Pearls all seem to have the same basic physical appearance (though they can dress and wear their hair differently). Pearls are some of the only Gems known to come in different colors; according to Rebecca Sugar, this makes Opal, Sardonyx, and Alexandrite also come in different colors, depending on the Pearl who fused. *** Pearl – A renegade Pearl loyal to Rose Quartz and her cause, and a current member of the Crystal Gems. *** Blue Pearl – A Pearl that serves Blue Diamond. *** Yellow Pearl – A Pearl that serves Yellow Diamond, acting as her receptionist and screening her calls for her. ** 'Turquoises '– Turquoises are gems meant to colonize and discover new planets for gem colonies to be built. They come in teal green, aqua blue, and purple. *** Turquoise – A rebel turquoise who served Rose Quartz to protect humanity, a current member of the Crystal Gems Gender * Gems do not have genders. ** Gem culture does not have a gender binary or a concept of gender. ** Gems refer to each other using "she/her" pronouns, but have no particular reason for doing so beyond arbitrary convenience. ** In their default state, Gems typically appear feminine by human standards, and they can use their shapeshifting abilities to deliberately assume overtly gendered forms. ** Steven is an exception because he is half-human. *** Stevonnie's precise canonical gender is currently unspecified, however Matt Burnett has stated that Stevonnie uses gender-neutral they / them pronouns. Reproduction It has been confirmed by Rebecca Sugar that Gems don't naturally reproduce and lack reproductive organs by default. In the short "How are Gems made" It's explained that Gems "aren't born, they're made when some Gems from outer space came here with these big machines! They put the machines on Earth and shot this junk into the ground, and then boom, you pop right out!". In addition it's revealed that Gems are formed fully developed "being a weak baby would be a pain, so, they suck up all the good stuff from the ground so we pop out all big and strong". In "On the Run", it is revealed that the Homeworld Gems invaded Earth several thousand years ago and used Kindergartens to create new Gems using the method described in "How are Gems made"; and that Amethyst was one such Gem. This process was very harmful to the environment to the point where, if it were allowed to continue, it would lead to "the destruction of all life on Earth", according to Pearl in "Marble Madness". Amethyst refers to all the Gems created through the process, herself included, as "parasites". While biological reproduction is an alien concept to Gems, it is not impossible for them; while Gems can't reproduce with each other they can create Gem-hybrid offspring. Through shape-shifting, they can perfectly replicate reproductive organs of organic beings for their "human constructs" in order to reproduce.Rose Quartz is the only Gem to have done this and her son, Steven, inherited her Gemstone, without which she could not project a physical form and subsequently "died". Corrupted Gems In "Ocean Gem", Pearl states, "All Gems aren't necessarily good." Gem Monsters are in fact either "corrupted" or "broken" Gems which, presumably, were unable to maintain humanoid form and sentience. Trivia * Fusions are capable of further fusing with Gems, as exhibited in "Coach Steven" (in which Garnet fuses Amethyst). * Fusions tend to highly exaggerate whatever personality traits are shared amongst the majority of the Gems comprising the Fusion. Sugilite seems to inherit her impulsive and irrational behavior from Ruby and Amethyst, while Sardonyx seems to get her haughty and self-absorbed personality from Sapphire and Pearl. * When Gems in a given Fusion have incompatible personalities, or have conflicting motives for fusing, and for whatever reason do not (or can not) terminate the Fusion, it results in an Unstable Fusion. When this happens, the constituent Gems risk losing touch with their individual personalities the longer the Fusion persists. ** In "Coach Steven", Sugilite is the first example of Gems remaining as an unstable Fusion for too long. It can be surmised that this case arose because Ruby and Amethyst have many similarities in personality, while Sapphire's personality strongly contrasts with both. Sapphire's presence was enough to cause instability, but not enough to "outvote" Ruby and Amethyst and cancel the Fusion. ** Malachite is another example. At the end of "Jail Break", Jasper is clearly trying to escape the Fusion. Either Jasper has very low willpower (not unlikely, considering her barbaric personality), or Lapis Lazuli has a great deal of mental fortitude, or a combination of both. * The majority of known Gem weapons are medieval: Garnet's gauntlets, Pearl's spear, Amethyst's whip, Steven/Rose's shield, Opal's longbow, Sugilite's flail, Jasper's crash-helmet, Ruby's gauntlet, and Sardonyx's war hammer. * The process for each Gem to summon their weapons depends on a different state of mind for each of them. ** Amethyst places little effort or concentration, claiming that it "just happens" when she needs to summon her weapon. ** Pearl claims that her process as being perfect and calculated, using the science of a flower petal dancing in the wind to describe how hard work and dedication can help master the properties of one's own gemstone and "perform their own dance". ** Garnet claims that she summons her gauntlets by linking her mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through her gem(s), matching her calm and meditative temperament. ** Steven's means of summoning his shield is still unknown, though it is thought to be caused when he experiences pure joy, having first activated his gem after taking a bite of his favorite ice-cream sandwich, his ability to summon his weapon can also be attributed to the feelings of love and the desire to protect. *** Say Uncle reveals that Steven's powers are maternal, and that he summons his shield to protect the things he cares about. Though the episode is considered non-canon, the description of how Steven summons his shield seems to be accurate. * Ian Jones-Quartey has stated that Steven is the first Gem to use masculine pronouns. ** Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey have stated that Gems use feminine pronouns by default. ** Although Gems are genderless, in their human-like forms they are anatomically constructed similarly to human women, and referred to by the pronouns used by human women. ** This is demonstrated in "Ocean Gem", as Pearl called Lapis "she." ** Pearl also referred to Rose Quartz as "she", while reminiscing in "Rose's Scabbard". ** Garnet, Pearl, and Steven referred to Peridot as "she". ** Garnet referred to Jasper as "she". * Gemstones can be used as a power source, even if damaged. ** Lapis Lazuli was used to power a magic mirror. ** Numerous Gemstones can be seen powering machines in the Ancient Gem Colony Ship. * Gem's physical bodies are capable of producing bodily fluids, and in "Coach Steven", Pearl can be observed to have scrapes on her "skin". * Pearl referred to their bodies as "human construct(s)" in "Fusion Cuisine". * Ian Jones-Quartey has stated that Gems do possess DNA, and that Rose Quartz was able to pass her traits on to Steven, although this would contradict Pearl's implication that Gems are inorganic in Alone Together.Gem DNA ** This is explained in the Guide to the Crystal Gems, the Gem equivalent to genetic information is stored in the Gemstone , and Rose was able to integrate this information with Greg's DNA by giving up her physical form and passing her Gem along to Steven. * Gem-hybrids can fuse with both humans and Gems, when Steven did with Connie to form Stevonnie, and with Amethyst to form Smoky Quartz. ** Gems cannot fuse with humans, as shown in "We Need to Talk". * There can be multiple Gems of the same type. ** In "The Return" and "Friend Ship", both Jasper and Pearl herself have referred to her as "a Pearl", implying there are more. ** In "When It Rains", Peridot assumes that Steven is "some kind of Quartz" from an Earth's kindergarten. ** In Guide to the Crystal Gems, Steven, Amethyst, Rose and Jasper all have their Gem type listed as Quartz. ** Peridot states in "Back to the Barn" that Pearls are mass produced as a subservient race, and implies that Peridots are used as technicians. * It is unknown if the placement and shape of a gemstone is a choice, or a default. * Gems' skin tones are always related to the color of their gemstones, however they don't always match precisely, for example Rose Quartz's skin tone has a lighter, peachier shade than her gemstone. * In the comic series, Pearl has been shown to absorb objects into her gem and has gotten sick when she absorbed too many objects into her gem. It is unclear whether other Gems can do this. ** This ability may be inherent to Pearls specifically, as it would account for Peridot's comments about Pearls being made to hold things. * It is implied that Gems either don't need to breathe, can hold their breath for long periods of time, or breathe differently from humans. * In "Nightmare Hospital", it is revealed Gems do not have a heart or heartbeat. * While Gems do not require sustenance, it is implied in "Catch and Release" that they produce bodily waste after consuming food. References